Namibia: Elemotho on how to get booked for music festivals

The Kalahari-born singer is a well-known feature on the festival circuit and has performed at various events in and outside Africa. He is one of the only Namibian musicians to have graced some of the world's biggest stages such as World of Music, Arts and Dance (UK), the Rototom Sunsplash Music Festival (Spain) and Bushfire (Swaziland).

In June, Elemotho together with Samuel Batola, toured Europe to promote his latest album Beautiful Word’. In July and August, he rounded off the tour with performances at Vrystaatarts Festival in South Africa, Rototom Festival Sunsplash Music Festival and the Gaborone International Music and Culture Week.

On 14 September, Elemotho held a special workshop together with the National Arts Council of Namibia to share with local artists his experience and know-how about getting into music festivals.

During the workshop at the Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre, which was aimed at assisting local artists to expand their horizons, Elemotho shared information such as how to apply and what routes to take.

For emerging musicians to land slots at music festivals such Windhoek Jazz Festival, Bushfire, Sauti za Busara, Oppikoppi, Lake of Stars and others, including small events, artists need to work hard, he said.

Elemotho said to get noticed, artists had to build up their profiles by doing as much production as possible. The needed to have good albums out including well-recorded live performance videos. “Those show your perfomability and the reaction of the crowd," he said . "Organisers need to know what you can do. They don’t want your music video but a live show.

“We need to associate ourselves as working musicians. Music is a craft that brings in lots of money. Music can be a career path but not an alternative to an easy live,” said the singer, who further encouraged musicians to use every available avenue to market themselves.

He said it was important to create and maintain a strong online presence, including well-designed websites. “Get the album and good pictures on social platforms like Facebook. I am not talking of selfies but performances and reviews because booking agents and directors may look at your social platforms. So, use your Facebook well."

It was also important for musicians to identify the right music festivals that would cater for their type of music. “Go online, look at festival scenes and apply ahead. The most important thing is to apply on time and follow up. Following up shows dedication on your part. Organisers cannot run after you, especially for a small-timer. There is no guarantee that you will get accepted but you have to do it anyway,” Elemotho said.

He also urged emerging artists to acquaint themselves with the music scene both at home and internationally. He said that through networking, artists would come into contact with the right people in the business such as booking agents.

The singer, who plays the acoustic guitar, emphasised that artists needed to “get in touch with the media to create hype before a festival".

"Performance alone is not enough. But through the media, you will be able to get as many ears and eyes as possible,” he said.

During the workshop, Elemotho placed great emphasis on hard work and perseverance.

“It takes years but keep grinding, keep working. I did a big festival in Seville, Spain, in 2008 and I am still grinding”.

As an example of perseverance, Elemotho spoke of Mokoomba, a Zimbabwean Afro-fusion outfit from the Chinotimba Township in Victoria Falls that is currently reaping the fruits of hard labour.

“Mokoomba have been in the music business for many years but only now are they starting to make money. It was a journey of investment, by ploughing back into the band. They are now big in America and Europe,” Elemotho said.

This article first appeared in The Southern Times